This is Part 2 of 3 in my Thirsty Thursday series.
I was working at the Canadian Cancer Society when research we had funded unequivocally connected consuming any amount of alcohol with increased breast cancer risk. It was around 2008.
Our staff, all women, all drank wine. We had fundraising events marketed around drinking.
We changed our fundraising policies but most of us did not change our drinking habits.
On July 23, 2011 Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning. I was working at the AIDS Committee of London where we provided safer drug use supplies. Drinking alcohol was a big part of our culture. Harm reduction and abstinence sat uncomfortably next to each other but it didn’t cause me to stop drinking alcohol.
I did, however, try to find information on the total social harms of alcohol. Not just the deaths from alcohol poisoning or drunk driving but where was the data on how alcohol was affecting our communities?
It turns out we don’t track those kinds of things much. There is a great interview with Dr Ian Gilmore from 2014 that covers the key issues.
https://youtu.be/M9zmUpD-EPM?si=oPVRpbBQUtCxGqM7
In the 12 years since that interview the deregulation and opening up of access to alcohol has dramatically changed here in Ontario, Canada. You can now purchase beer, wine and premixed cocktails at gas stations and grocery stores at all hours of the day.
This month The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health published their 2025 monitoring report.
CAMH monitor, full report 2025
The news is mixed, many people in Ontario continue to consume alcohol at a greater volume and frequency than they did before the pandemic.
While slightly fewer people drink compared to the year before, those who do are drinking more.
Access and price are well known factors that affect alcohol consumption. Looking back at the video from 2014 it is as though Dr Gilmore already saw the future.
Our access and pricing are at odds with our public health guidelines in Canada.
Canadian Low-risk drinking guidelines
Since alcohol is a carcinogen the guidelines start with reminding us that any amount of alcohol can have risks to your health. That is a very harsh truth.
It’s one I’ve been mulling over for nearly two decades before deciding to stop drinking.
I don’t think everyone needs to leave alcohol behind. I do think we need honest discussions about why we are comfortable increasing access and consumption without considering all consequences.
